


Midnight encounter

by babylearnedtoread



Series: Rewrite the stars [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Book 3: Fire, Episode: s03e12 The Western Air Temple, Flirting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:46:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26094349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babylearnedtoread/pseuds/babylearnedtoread
Summary: What if Sokka is the one to go talk to Zuko after the Gaang refuses his help in the Western Air Temple?
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Rewrite the stars [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1903075
Comments: 13
Kudos: 315





	Midnight encounter

He's really messed it up this time. But there's no use dwelling on it. He'll think of something in the morning. He'll follow them from the shadows, see what their next move is and maybe he can lend them a hand at some point, prove himself to them. 

He lays on the cold grass, wrapping himself in the only blanket he's brought with him, curling up on himself. Closing his eyes is easy, but actually relaxing and falling asleep seems impossible. 

He moves a little closer to the fire, trying to warm himself up. His lids feel heavy again and he finally feels himself drift off. 

He doesn't know how long he's been asleep, but he's startled awake by the sound of leaves rustling. He's immediately on his feet, taking his stance, ready for attack. 

He looks around, but nothing else moves again. He's all alone in the middle of the woods in the dead of the night. Must have been the wind then. 

He lets out a breath he doesn't remember holding and it comes out with a flame that built inside him in instinct. 

He slumps his shoulders and rubs his eyes. Everything becomes a blur when he lifts his eyes back to the trees and he swears he sees a figure squating on one of the branches. 

But he's to dizzy from sleeping and rubbing his eyes to react in time and he shoots a flame in vain, missing the figure by a lot. 

The figure jumps down on the ground and is in a second behind him, forcing his hands together at his back in a tight grip. A cold sharp blade is pressing under his jaw and if he swallows too hard it will cut the skin there. 

The figure leans closer to the side of his face that is not burned and their breath sends shivers down the whole right side of Zuko's body. 

"Did my father send you?" Zuko tries to speak without moving his neck too much and risking to get it sliced open. The assassin doesn't respond right away, but he doesn't move to kill him either. 

"What are you still doing here?" The voice finally gives a body and a face to the figure. He looks down for the first time to the blade threatening his life. A boomerang. 

"Sokka?" His hands are released but the blade remains on his throat as Sokka moves to face him. He grabs the back of Zuko's head to ensure his escape would be futile.

"What are you still doing here?" He speaks slowly this time to make sure Zuko understands he is the one to ask the questions. 

Zuko shouldn't feel this bold when his life is in the hands of his interrogator. "Nothing evil if that's what concerns you." Sokka squints his eyes and the blade presses slightly closer as a warning but he retreats it with a smirk. 

Zuko ignores the warning. "Did they send you to check up on me or did you just happen to miss me?" His own lips twitch in a smirk, challengingly. 

Sokka just stares at him with an unreadable expression, but he seems to be thinking about something. He pushes Zuko until his back hits the trunk of a tree and he keeps himself from wincing from the force of the impact. 

The boomerang disappears from his throat, but a hand keeps him pressed to the tree. Zuko could easily escape, but he doesn't. "So no evil plan, you say?" 

"On my honor." Zuko presses a hand to his chest to emphasize the idea and Sokka's eyes flicker to it to check for any possible attack and then looks back into Zuko's eyes. 

"So what was all that bullshit from before then, huh?" 

"That bullshit was my honest apology and offer to help." He's really struggling not to roll his eyes, a habit he's got from Mai. He looks down at Sokka's hand, noticing he's yet to let him go. Instead, they share the same space and Zuko feels like his body is pulled forward like a magnet attracted by the metal of the blade hidden in Sokka's tunic. 

"I must say, I kinda miss you and your evil plans being our biggest problem", says Sokka in a relaxed tone, like it's not the first time he's thought of it.

Zuko smirks before switching to a more innocent look. "Aww, so you did miss me."

Sokka snorts. "I wasn't trying to flatter you," his eyes light up and a grin spreads across his face, "Your Majesty." 

Zuko doesn't stop himself from rolling his eyes this tims. "You finally show some respect to royalty just when I decide to become a traitor."

"Your nation betrayed you, fire prince." Sokka steps closer, pressing his body against Zuko. "Now back to business." He takes his boomerang out again and returns it to it's place on Zuko's throat. Zuko almost missed it. Almost.

"Like i said, i can train the avatar. I can teach him how to firebend." He talks through gritted teeth, sick of the words he's repeatedly rehearsed. 

Sokka hums in understanding. He looks to the side, considering his options probably. Zuko is pretty confident that he won't kill him, not now anyway. Hs would've done it already if he really wanted to. 

Sokka looks back at Zuko after a minute or so (an excruciating minute because Zuko has no idea what he is thinking about). And he leans closer to his ear. He pushes his hips forward, pressed against Zuko's, leaving him no space to move, not that it ever even crossed his mind to escape. 

His breath is warm against the shell of Zuko's ear and he whispers as if there was anyone elss around to hear him. 

"It was great doing business with you." He's away from Zuko in a matter of seconds, boomerang missing from his skin. Sokka spins on his heels letting Zuko to process all that's happened. 

He's not given too much time, however, because Sokka rushes back in front of him, their noses inches away from each other and the swish of the blade flying close to Zuko's head still ringing in his ear as he opens his eyes and meets Sokka's, wrinkled at the corners by the smirk splitting his face. 

They both look at the boomerang stuck in the bark and Sokka traces the edge of the blade with a finger. "I do care about this one. I would hate to loose it." 

He moves back again, but this time he walks without even sparing a glance behind him, disappearing in the darkness of the forest. Zuko lets out a shaky breath. 

•

The next morning, he goes on with his plan of following the avatar and he's thankful for it when the assassin he hired shows up, not that he's doing very good against the guy. 

He soon finds himself hanging onto a root on the side of the stone structures. The assassin keeps shooting towards the place where the avatar and his friends are hiding, like sitting ducks on the lower level they are on. 

Every time Zuko tries to pull himself up, something pokes him uncomfortably in the ribs. The boomerang. 

He gets it out of his tunic, trying not to fall off the root and aims for the stone platform the others are on. He really doubts his aim is as good as it should be in order to get it close to it's owner, but it seems built well enough to do a good job even with his poor skills. 

He swings in the air and throws it with as much force as he can gather, watching it land on the stone and then it's quickly picked up and thrown back into the assassins head. 

It is not the final blow, but the man falls to his death soon enough and Zuko manages to find his way on the platform with the others. 

"I guess i should be thanking you." Aang looks shyly to the ground. "And I think I'd like you to be my firebending teacher." Aang bows.

Zuko bows as well but pain shoots throughhis left side and he grabs his ribs with one hand. "It would be my honor." Sokka snorts at this. 

"But of course, we are a team so everyone has to be okay with it." Aang adds, turning to the others. "Toph?" The short, dark haired girl waves a hand dismissively. "I was on board from the beginning. But if he tries something..." She smiles mischievously, punching her palm in emphasis. 

Aang turns next to Katara. She glares daggers at him, but her voice doesn't sound mad when she speaks to Aang. "If you think this is the right thing, then I'm with you."

When everyone looks at Sokka, a silent question lingering in the air, he's already looking at Zuko, same unreadable expression on his face, studying him. "You know I'm always with you. Plus, he might be our only option right now."

Zuko scoffs and Sokka smiles. "Don't worry, I was still not trying to flatter you." The confused expressions on the others' faces, the fact that no one mentioned the boomerang, that surprise when they found out he was still around...they didn't know Sokka went to see him.last night. They didn't send him there. It was his own curiosity that brought him there.

Sokka grins and places a hand on the small of Zuko's back, leading him.towards the buildings. "Come on, let me show you your room."

**Author's Note:**

> I love reading comments, so keep em coming  
> If you don't like something, please be gentle 🥺


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